Tip: There’s a huge range of possibilities – a body of water can be one these

Many students spoke about a river which runs through their hometown, and the numerous activities they do there – jogging, cycling, enjoying a picnic with friends.

Others chose to speak about the sea & the seaside – being on the beach, swimming in the water and enjoying fresh seafood.

You could think about lakes where you can go fishing, camping or canoeing, enjoying the great outdoors. You could even talk about reservoirs where water is stored – perhaps for drinking water or hydroelectricity.

Last summer I was travelling around Europe and I had the chance to visit the Louvre museum in Paris. It’s somewhere I’ve always wanted to go ever since I learned about it in my high school French class, so going was a dream come true.

It’s a famous Parisian landmark and of course it’s home to some of the world’s most iconic pieces of art.

The museum itself is absolutely enormous – when I first arrived it took my breath away. It’s right in the heart of the French capital, next to the river Seine, but the sheer size and scale of it is truly incredible. It was a royal palace at one point in time and for me it still maintains that sense of grandeur and opulence – no wonder it’s the biggest museum in the world!

I pre-booked fast-track tickets online because I didn’t want to waste any time waiting to get in. I was really glad I did because even though I arrived early, the queue already went back as far as the eye could see.

The Louvre has a rich collection of artworks but the star of the show is undoubtedly the Mona Lisa – it was the masterpiece I just had to see with my own eyes.

I was really disappointed when I saw the painting up close, however. It was much smaller than I had expected, and given the iconic portrait’s historical and cultural significance it’s protected by bulletproof glass. On top of that, there were hordes of tourists crowded around snapping photos – even though I’m quite tall I wasn’t able to get an unobstructed view. The gallery felt stuffy and claustrophobic and I was thoroughly underwhelmed.

Instead, I spent the rest of my time there strolling through the quieter corridors at a leisurely pace – I saw many pieces I’d never even heard of before. I enjoyed being able to explore the nooks and crannies of the building and appreciate the art in relative peace and quiet.

Visiting was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for me – I don’t know if I’ll get the chance again in the future but I was thrilled I finally had the chance to tick it off my bucket list.

Try timing yourself reading this sample answer at a natural pace – how long does it take you?

Part two is the only time in the exam where you can write something down. The examiner will give you a cue card with a question on it – typically you’ll be asked to describe something. You’ll have one minute to prepare your answer, then two minutes to speak.

Saying how often you do something is very common in the speaking exam, especially in part one.

Think about the gym – how often do you go there?

Are you addicted to the gym and go there everyday, without fail? Maybe you work out regularly and go 2 or 3 times a week. Or just once a week. Perhaps you’re not quite as motivated so you go less often – twice a month, twice a year. Or maybe never…

There are numerous resources available online to help you hone your listening skills.

BBC World Service is an excellent choice, and one of my favourite things is the short new bulletins they have on their website.

Listen as you commute on the bus to and from work, during your lunch break, or whenever you have a spare 5 – 10 minutes. The newsreaders have a variety of accents so you can also practice tuning in to that too.

Try making it part of your daily routine and see what improvement you make.

If you haven’t already done so, the first thing I’d suggest is familiarising yourself with IELTS – this will help you to understand exactly what is expected of you and will help you to prepare.

Check out the IELTS website here – it’s an excellent resource and contains a wealth of information. There’s also this handy PDF.

I’d also recommend reviewing exactly how your score will be calculated – you’ll also find this on the IELTS website. This is particularly useful if you must achieve a certain band – what is the difference between Band 6 and Band 7, for example?